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bhassl's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
reese_lanier's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
The concept of the book had a really strong hook, but as soon as I got into reading it, it just felt meandering and unsure of where it was going. It would present certain ideas and then not do anything with them. Paul was not a particularly strong protagonist.
laurasauras's review against another edition
5.0
I have to admit, it took me a bit to get into this. The longer it went on, the more clear it became that Paul was desperately seeking kinship and connection. I actually went back and reread and the context from the end improved the whole story. Loved the use of fairy-tales throughout, they were done in a genuinely novel way. Excellent queer lit.
neonpomegranate's review against another edition
Incredibly boring with a flippant tone I can’t care about. Like being trapped at the worst party with tripping people who think they’re interesting when in fact they’re just so annoying
_sunbaby's review against another edition
emotional
funny
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
readcodelove's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
curlywhirlygirly's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
vulgar and vivid and various, no plot to be found but a colorful cast of characters who populate paul's strange and tremendous world
bildungswalton's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
1moodreader's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.75
I initially picked up this book not knowing anything about it, but I was sold on the premise.
🏆What I liked:
🏆What I liked:
- The premise is interesting and the first couple of pages hook you.
- Some good quotes.
🚩What I didn't like:
- This book has a lot to say, but the biggest problem to me was how it was said. Everything- the plot, characters, pacing- is affected by the pretentious tone in the writing.
- While I don't need to like a character that I'm reading about, like any person, there needs to be some depth, complexity, dimensionality to the character. However, even if we have a static character there can still be interesting developments in the plot. This story is made up of pretentious writing and flat characters (there's only so many times Paul can be quirky, cool, edgy, new, different in a matter of pages) is also bogged down by how boring the story is. I can't have pretentious writing, flat characters, AND a boring story.
- Overall, this book was a slog to get through.